Making the most of waste heat

Thermal energy requirements meet the demands of various processes: drying, concentration or distillation, heating, and heat supply to chemical reactors. These requirements are met 60% by fossil fuels (gas, fuel oil, coal), 30% by electrical energy, and the remainder by various resources (renewables, biomass, etc.).

During these processes, significant amounts of heat are released at lower temperatures. Some of this heat is directly recovered by being reinjected into the process or used to preheat incoming flows; some is released into the atmosphere without being recovered.

To recover these net losses, particularly below 200°C, various energy recovery technologies are possible. Above 200°C, few recovery technologies are available, apart from heat recovery units.

This sheet should enable you to identify technical solutions for recovery.